Change speed apparatus



Dec. 17, 1935.

L. SAIVES 2,024,538

CHANGE SPEED APPARATUS Filed Jan. 24, .1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I1g l z? 6 G "2 H f 'P- I 30 (o I v EU 5 HZ, Uzi-i ah I 40 1 I4 /7 L o 4 an Dec. 17, 1935. s v s 2,024,538

CHANGE SPEED APPARATUS Filed Jan. 24, 1934. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 17, 1935' UNITED STATES PATENT ort-l cs CHANGE srnnn APPARATUS Leon Salves, Billancourt France, alslgnor to Louis Renault, Blilancourt, France Application January 24, 1934, Serial No. 708,148

In France January 30, 1933 1 Claim. (Cl. lb-334) The invention relates to change speed gear apparatus for all applications and more particularly to such apparatus for mounting on automobile vehicles. This apparatus is of the type known as preselector change speed gear apparatus, that is to say, in which the gear box being on a certain speed, the driver prepares in advance the speed at which he desires to proceed by displacing an easily workable member such as a handle or lever.

' The preselecting arrangements may be advantageously combined with the clutch control of the vehicle and more particularly with a clutch control depending upon a cylinder subl5 jected to a partial vacuum of the engine, in such a manner that after having chosen the speed with which it is desired to proceed, the very act of pressing on the controlling member of the vacuum servo-motor, at oncejdisengages the clutching members then brings the speed sliding gear into engagement at the dead centre and finally engages the sliding gear of the speed with which it is desired to proceed.

The control arrangements of the sliding gears are constituted essentially by a system of fingers carried by an arm pivoted on a shaft of the declutching control, and which can be brought into different positions by a control of the Bowden type, for example. These fingers, by angular displacement of the arm, may be brought opposite to the pivoted levers at suitable points of the case of the gear box and acting on the sliding gears in such a manner that they can displace these levers and the sliding gears when they are brought opposite one of them. The arm which can be displaced angularly is provided with a spring pawl, which acts upon the projection of an intermediate lever pivoted on the case of the-gear box and which carries a transverse shaft for contracting with the sliding gear engaged so as to bring it to the dead centre before the finger of the arm acts on the' lever of the sliding gear to be displaced for the change in speed.

The invention likewise relates to certain details of construction which will be more particularly described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section along the axis of the gear box according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same box;

Figures 3, 4 and 5 show the mechanism of the control arm of the sliding gears, in Figure 3 55 in the position corresponding to the speed in engagement, Figure 4 in the position for arresting the sliding gear in engagement, and Figure 5 in the position for a change in speed.

Referring to the drawings, the transverse shaft I has bearings in the casing'2 and carries the 5 lever 3 connected to the vacuum servo-motor. This lever 3 is connected in the usual manner by a gate controlwith a lever 4 fixed to a shaft 5 which is located in the extension of the shaft I and which carries the lever ,8 of the pedal or 10 of the lever which directly controls the declutching. On the shaft l is keyed, outside the casing, a cam I which acts on a lever provided with a roller 8, the lever being carried by a shaft 9 which controls the fork l0 acting on the clutch. 0n the shaft I, inside the casing 2 is fixed a support II on which is pivoted at I I2 an arm l3 carrying fingers ll, IS. The arm I3 can take up different angular positions on its support under the action of the control I3 connected to a Bowden wire l3, for example, ending in a handle or leverin the driver's seat. The grooves l8 provided on the arm l3, corresponding in number to the number of positions that the arm must take up for effecting the control of the different speeds, are engaged by a catch ll pivoted at l8 and subjected to the action of a spring l9.

In the gear box the driving shaft is indicated at 20 and the gear shaft at 2!. The sliding ears 22 and 23 can slide on their respective shafts 24', 25. A support 28, fixed to the casing of the gear box, receives on a pivotal shaft 21, the levers 28 and 29. The first is pivotally connected to a collared stud 38 fixed to the lower sliding car 23 and the second is pivotally connected to a collared stud 3i fixed to the upper sliding car 22. On these two collared studs 38, 3| is pivoted a series of levers 32 and 38 which pivot about their fixed spindles 34, 35. The 40 ends of the levers 28, 28 and 32, 33 are at about the same height, so as to be engaged by the fingers l4 and I5 of the arm II when these fingers are brought opposite to the ends of these levers by displacement of the arm l3, as

will be hereinafter explained. The finger llcan act on one or other of the levers 28 and 32, whilst the finger l5 can act on one or other of the levers 28 and 33. It is to be understood that one finger or a plurality of fingers may be used. The arm l3 carries a pawl 38 pivoted at 31 and is subjected to the action of a spring 38; this pawl can engage with the projection 39 of an auxiliary lever 40 pivoted on a spindle ll fixed to the casing, and carrying at'its free d a transverse rod 42; a fixedstop II is pron the casing for the auxiliary leverll. orming a latch carried by the casing and causes it to become disengaged from the grooves ll of the selector arm ll, during the movement corresponding to the speed change.

' The operation is as follows:

If it is supposed that the change speed apparatus has, for'example the second speed in engagement (position corresponding to Fig. 8), the lever I! of the sliding ear It, in engagement is inclined towards the left, whilst the lever is of the slide ear I! ofthe speed to be transmitted is in the vertical position of inaction. The pawl It of the finger i4 is in engagement with the projection ll of the auxiliary lever II which rests against its stop 48. If the driver wishes to change into the third speed, for example, he .has put the control handle or lever on the index corresponding to that speed, which corresponds to the inclination of thearm It in the desired position in order that the finger I! may be brought opposite to the lever II of the sliding ear 2!. He then presses on the special pedal which controls the vacuum servomotor which acts on the lever I causing it to turn the shaft l in a suitable direction, the cam lot this shaft causes the roller lever O of the arm 0 to turn to effect declutching by the fork ID. The declutching being maintained, the

shaft I continues to turn and the finger II, in

Y pawl 36 then escapes from the projection 39 of '.the auxiliary lever 4|. The rotary movement of the finger ll being continued, this finger engages with the end II of the sliding ear 22 and displaces this lever 2| towards the front, so as to effect the displacement of the sliding car 22 into the position corresponding to the third speed. It should be noticed that, during the change from the position of Fig. 4 to the position of Figure 5, the rod 44 acts on the body of the catch ll so as to prevent the disengagethe shaft I turns in a direction inversely to the s movement which has previously been. imparted to it and the finger ll returns back, this lever again taking up the position shown in Fig. 3 for which the pawl ll again engages with the projection I! of the auxiliary lever ll. .10

a It is seen that the mounting of the levers 28 and I! of the sliding ear 22 and the levers 29 and II of the sliding ear II, above and below the shafts of these cars, allows of communicating to the shafts of these latter, displacements in ,contrary directions, following the lever which is opposite the finger of the preselector arm.

The declutching pedal is used for starting, as well as for driving in towns, it can moreover be held pressed without fatigue by leaving the right foot on the button at the same time, until'the moment of starting. The speed gear box can be of the usual type with a synchronizing system" for the second and third speeds and an ordinary sliding gear for the first speed and reversing, but synchronizing arrangements could be provided for all speeds.

The forks are mounted on the locked shafts in the manner usually employed in ordinary gear boxes.

I claim:

A change speed gear apparatus with a speed preselecting arrangement comprising a shaft, means for oscillating said shaft when speed is to be changed, an arm pivoted on said shaft, means for oscillating said arm before changing speed, fingers carried by said arm, levers for operating the gear changes, said levers being arranged in such manner that one of said levers may be actuated by one of said fingers according to the positions of said arm on said'shaft when the shaft is oscillated, comprising a pawl with a spring carried by said arm, an auxiliary lever having a projection actuated by said pawl,

a rod operated by said auxiliary lever and bringing back said levers in such manner as to put out of mesh the gears corresponding to the speed which is to be abandoned.

LEON SAIVES. 

